Haul List – Kirribilli Fashion Market

Spring has arrived early in Sydney this year and there has been none of the blustery August winds, just glorious sunny days. Loving it! It is perfect market weather and we have been taking every opportunity to get out amongst the stalls every weekend. Today we headed for one of Sydney’s most iconic landmarks, the Sydney Harbour Bridge where the Kirribilli market runs nearby its northern foundation in Bradfield Park.

Kirribilli runs a few different markets but today was the fashion market where the whole bowling green is stacked with stalls selling pre-loved fashion. Most of it designer threads and at least 90% of it for women so it’s a fab girls day out. Leave your man in the food area to sample all the great cuisines from around the world and soak up some tunes by the live band of the day.

I love this market – stunning location, awesome food, live music, art & craft stalls as well as a huge number of second-hand stalls but I struggle with the higher price tags. Yes this is North Sydney and yes most of the preloved goods on offer are designer but I’ve been spoiled by op shop prices and just can’t bring myself to pay $10 for a generic second-hand scarf when I usually only pay $1. The Hunter in me knows that shopping below eye level yields good results in pocket friendly terms. So remember to look what’s on the ground and rummage through the boxes & bags of clothing under the racks of higher priced clothes.

Here is some of what we found today.

Converse $10 a pair. LOVE the gold ones with the zipper detail!

Sportsgirl scarf $3

Sass & Bide pants $5.
S&B Vie Love what you love without hesitation.

5 x Deus ex Machina T-shirts and a cap for only $15!

My man was stoked when I found these shirts in a bag marked $5 each. By the time I’d sifted through the entire bag and accumulated a few other items the stallholder offered us a greatly reduced price, almost half the listed price so it always pays to buy in bulk. Friendly chatter with the stallholder will always work in your favour also.

Kirribilli Fashion Market runs every 2nd Sunday of the month, 9am-3pm in Bradfeild Park.

The Grounds and our old stomping ground.

There’s a new market in Sydney, so of course we felt compelled to check it out. The Grounds of Alexandria is essentially a cafe but the clever team behind this enterprise are promoting it as a destination. Set on a large block in the industrial precedent of Alexandria, The Grounds cafe includes a large outdoor seating area with veggie patches, a chicken coop and a kid’s cubby/play area. It’s a lovely concept. They have recently started a weekend market on the site and it is obviously a huge hit with the locals. The place was packed! Hordes of people lined up to get into the cafe (I couldn’t even get a look inside), a huge line snaked around the outdoor area for food & coffee, they even lined up to look at some of the stalls? I wouldn’t really call this a market, it’s more like an extension of the cafe to cope with the masses on the weekend. Most of the stalls were run by The Grounds as a way of spreading out the produce and reducing the lines for the cafe, then there were a few other random stalls – a florist, a butcher, handmade cosmetics, cheese, homewares, an organic grocer. Kids are well catered for here. As well as the cubby house, there was also a jumping castle and an animal petting farm. Our kids felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of people though and couldn’t wait to leave. We stayed less than half an hour. It felt like trying to get into the hottest new bar in town, cram packed with overdressed and cashed up inner city apartment dwellers getting their weekend dose of vitamin D. Maybe it had something to do with the DJ pumping out loud music? It was all a bit try hard.

So we left The Grounds empty-handed and headed for our fallback, Rozelle markets. It never fails to impress us. After filling our bellies with yum cha style dumplings and Himalayan fare from the food section of the market we hunted through the stalls of second-hand goods.

Levi’s boots (unworn) $10, dominos $5, Old school Adidas haggled down to $5

Shopping this way is just as much about what you uncover even if you don’t buy it. Some of the great things we saw today were a set of 5 gorgeous red 60’s dining chairs in mint condition for $250, shame they were too low for our dining table. A killer pair of unworn YSL black patent stiletto booties for a mere $20, only 3 sizes too big for me. BNWT Current/Elliot $250 distressed jeans, just $10.

Alice McCall cropped vest $5, Distressed leggings $5
Arthur Galan top $2, Mimco wallet $5, Folk clutch $2.

Directly across the road from Rozelle market is the Australian Red Cross op shop. This is one of those op shops that knows it’s labels and sells them at their value. I found a gorgeous pair of tan cowboy boots for $20 that were worn in to butter soft but a tad to big for me sadly. *must add cowboy boots to op shopping list * I did come away with a few novels for less than a $1 a book and the kids piled up a stack of $3 DVDs. My husband fared best here finding his favourite work shoe brand, Kenneth Cole in new condition for $40 and a great business shirt with cuffs for $10 by Trent Nathan.

Kirribilli Markets

Been allocated as Tour Guide for your friends visiting Sydney?

Kirribilli market is a great day out for all sorts of reasons. As soon as you arrive your guests will be gobsmacked by the view. Sydney Harbour, tick. Opera House, tick. Harbour Bridge, tick.

Bradfield park

The Kirribilli fashion market is held on the 2nd Sunday of the month from 9am-3pm in Bradfield Park. The fashion market is a great second-hand clothes market with tons of casual stall holders as well as regulars. This is really a girls day out as most items are women’s clothes, shoes, accessories. My husband quickly departed to graze the food aisles. You can find everything from high street labels to some serious designer threads. Know your brands and you could bag a serious bargain. I spotted an almost new Marc Jacobs handbag for $150, a Lisa Ho fine wool knit for $30 and lots of Sass & Bide and Tsubi denim. Prices range but generally speaking are higher than other second hand avenues. If you know retail prices and are familiar with the brands on offer here, then there are real savings to be made. It’s all relative. Spoiled by op shop pricing I find it hard to pay $20 for a second-hand dress so I scour the suitcases marked “everything $2”. Luckily I had success finding several items in the $2-$5 price bracket. Tops by Metalicus, Bauhaus, Witchery, Country Road and One Teaspoon. A silk skirt by Grab Denim and a couple of  scarves. Other finds included a silver set Opal ring $20 and new kids Nikes for $10. You could go mental here but I was content with my finds.

Kirribilli fashion market

The Kirribilli Art & Design market runs on the same day towards the top end of the park and spills into the Burton st tunnel. Here you can buy handmade items such as candles, fashion, jewellery and artwork. I purchased a stack of handmade resin bangles from Designs by Natalia. The lovely Natalia was very helpful in picking out bangles to fit and in colours I like. I always struggle to find any bangles small enough to fit me but Natalia makes them in numerous sizes including a 6cm diameter which is perfect for me. It made my day.

The food area aptly named Eat St on Burton is in between the two markets and offers cuisine from around the world – Spanish chorizo, Turkish Gozleme, Thai curries, Indian Samosas, Mexican burritos and Japanese pancakes to name a few. You can also buy artisan food products from the Gourmet Corner.

If you want to hold a stall here take a look at their website. You can book online and they offer lots of helpful info. They have some great videos on how to set & have a successful day, such a great tool.

Bradfield Park is under Bradfield Highway leading onto the Harbour Bridge. It has a great kid’s playground and lots of space for a picnic. You can laze in the sun and gaze at the massive engineering feat that is the Harbour Bridge. Maybe your guests would like a swim at North Sydney Olympic Pool across the road or lunch at Aqua Dining which overlooks the pool? Luna Park is another big tick item. Who can resist a photo opportunity under the giant grinning gates? Entry is free so wander around the amusement park, eat fairy floss and take in the sights until of course you are lured by the squeals of riders of The Mighty Mouse and buy a ride pass.